Travel Diaries: A Fun Way to Improve Your Writing
- Vanessa Nakoski
- Jul 23, 2016
- 2 min read
It's summer, and for many of you, that means travelling! Whether you're going to far-flung corners of the Earth or enjoying your home town in new ways, summer is an excellent time for new experiences and new sights -- and those new experiences are great fodder for your writing!

Those of you who've met me know how much I believe in the power of casual writing. Too often, writers wait until the perfect moment -- never realizing that such a thing does.not.exist. We write when we can about what we can with the words we have in the moment. That is all. That is enough.
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If you haven't started writing in a journal or written casually in the past, this summer's travels are the best time to start. You're in the process of creating memories (hopefully ones you'd like to keep), and writing something down to help you remember years later is a great way to document your trips. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but that doesn't mean you can't invest a few starter words in there first, right?
The best travel diaries include the kinds of information that you'll want to know to remember the trip: date, location, weather, travelling companions, etc. Plus, you'll want to write something about what you did and how you felt about it. There's a bit difference between:
Someplace in Washington, DC. Went to the Spy Museum then Chinatown. Ate. Went home on the metro.
And:
Saturday, July 16th, 2016. Hot and Humid (like always) in Washington, DC. Rob and I went to the Spy Museum to see the new exhibit. I love how they give us a profile to use when we are in the museum -- it makes the whole thing more interesting and engaging. I'm always on the lookout for when/if one of the guards might ask me about my "identity"! Afterwards, we went to Chinatown for dinner. He actually tried new foods, and I was my usual adventurous self too! So fun! By the time we were done, we were tired, so we went back to the metro to go home. The train was pretty empty, which was a nice surprise, so we relaxed on our way back.
Neither one is very long, although obviously the first example is extremely concise. However, in writing the second one, I included details that might help me relive the moment, especially my mental and emotional state at the time. Both work, but the latter example also helps me practice my writing skills (which is sort of the whole point of my work).
Go anywhere fun this summer? Post a description below and tell us about it!
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